


To the Start of New Adventures

by Megane



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Adjusting to New Circumstances, Adventure, Alternate Canon, Amateur Adventurer, Amateur Mechanic, Bounty Hunting, Car Troubles, Childhood Friends, Crushes, Dress for Survival, F/F, Flirting, Friendship, Humour, Jokes, Laughter, Learning a New Skill, Light-Hearted, Magic/Enchanted Items, Makeover, Male-Female Friendship, Mechanics, Platonic Romance, Secret Crush, Shopping, Spoiler Free Territory, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-09 00:38:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8869048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: It worked well so far: climbing into the Regalia and heading out on their adventures. Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto decided to continue on with this theme. The only difference was, this time, they brought Luna along.





	1. No Time For Goodbyes

        “So… how does this work?” a feminine voice asked. “Do I just ask 'Are we there yet?' over and over again until you guys get sick of me?”

        A snort proceeded a squinty eyed look. “Where'd you learn _that_ …?”

        “I heard it in a movie once. Well– it was over and over, so I saw the movie once but heard the phrase like six or seven times.”

        “No, no,” came the patient tone. “We do not tolerate that.”

        “But you can still try it!” replied a peppy voice. “Just… be ready if… Iggy gets mad.”

        A huff of laughter. “Which could be at any time if you try to pull that.”

        A sweet, youthful laugh. “I'll keep note not to then.”

Luna dropped her hands down into her lap. She was sitting on the back of the Regalia, her feet in the seat in front of her. She looked to the men with her and smiled at each of them in turn. Well– except for Ignis. He was currently trying to pull up the navigation on his phone. It was going to be interesting traveling with them; she just knew it. They explained to her the basics of how they went about camping. Noctis bragged about Ignis' cooking, and the others joined in, knowing that the praise would make their dear driver blush. Or at least act a little flustered.

What excited her most wasn't the camping, though it would have been nice to sleep under the stars and see the world in various types of weather. It was the bounty hunting. She had always been interested in the mercenary trade– before, there was no way on Eos she would have been able to do it herself. She couldn't wait to see how that would turn out for her now.

She stared down at her feet, which were covered by white shoes with three inch heels. And while she did– somewhat– like what she was wearing, she would need to dress a bit less delicately. Her clothes were enchanted, yes, but they wouldn't do her any good out in the wilderness. Her heart beat excitedly the more she thought it. She was the one who brought up getting new clothes and doing away with the ones she had. Well– (there were many _'well'_ s going on in her head)– she wouldn't get rid of them. She'd keep the garments nearby if she ever needed them, but she needed a new primary wardrobe. She'd try to match the others in one way or another. They said they would help and give advice if she needed it, so that just sweetened the deal for her.

She lifted her head when she heard Ignis locking his phone into the dashboard mount, turned sideways so they could see the map better. Noctis, who sat up in the front with Ignis, reached up and pinched the map, zooming out before it zoomed back in again. He waved a finger in front of the navigation, questioning their route and suggesting another. As Ignis explained why it wouldn't necessarily make a difference as far as safety and time were concerned, Luna felt Prompto pat against the back of her hand. He smiled up at her and gave her a nod. He seemed pretty excited, and to be honest, she was too.

Gladio helped verbally run down the checklist, and Luna tried to memorise it as best as she could as they went.

        “Camping equipment?”

        “Check.”

        “Cooking implements.”

        “Double check.”

        “What was the expiration date on those perishables?”

        “They've got another week. I've bundled them up nice and tucked them into the stew pot.”

        “Excellent.”

And then they ran down the list of their combat supplies. Weapons were in order; magic all accounted for. They were low on certain potions, and Luna piped up immediately.

        “I can handle it–! I have my own money, and I can probably talk us into a good deal.”

        Gladio chuckled. “I'll go with her. I wanna test her bargaining skills.”

        “I'm pretty good,” Luna said. “But my methods are unorthodox.”

        “Oooh, mysterious. Can't wait to see it.”

They smiled at each other. Luna looked around and saw Ignis touching over the navigation again. He set a final course for them and drew his hand back. After a moment, he turned back to peer up at her.

        “Are you ready?”

        “As ready as I'll ever be.”

        Ignis smiled then and faced forward in his seat. “Then I advise you sit properly. We'll be leaving shortly.”

Luna smirked and moved down into her seat. She reached behind her, fingers going between the cushions as she searched for the center belt. Gladio and Prompto helped her, muttering to themselves about there not being one, but upon finding that there was a belt buried down under the seat, Prompto gave a dramatic gasp and went _“No way!”_

Luna buckled herself in and sat back against the seat. She looked to her left and right and noticed that neither Prompto nor Gladio were buckled in. She opened her mouth and then closed it, blinking in silence.

        “You're one of us now,” Gladio said, reading the confusion on her face, “but you're still new. We don't want you getting hurt your first time out.”

        “We're rebels,” said Prompto with a playful groan. He flicked his hands forward and then brought them behind his head. “We live on the edge now.”

        Noctis just rocked his head to the left and gently said, “Shut up, Prom.”

Luna laughed very suddenly but very happily. Prompto dropped his hands into his lap with an almost painful slap. Luna reached over and pat his wrist sympathetically. Poor guy. When the Regalia's engine revved, she was surprised by the power at first, but when it quieted down, the vehicle purred underneath her. She rubbed her hands up the seat and gave the edge a squeeze. This was very nice.

Ignis looked over his shoulder and checked his mirrors before he pulled out into the street. Luna felt tempted to wave the Tenebrae sign good-bye as they passed, but when they drove by, she felt proud that she didn't even so much as glance to it. It was a quiet ride at first. Everyone was in their own heads, and Luna liked it that way. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. It was pretty cloudy today, so the Sun wasn't immediately shining in her face. When it did shine down though, it was soothing in a way. It was a deep reaching warmth that she felt down to her bones.

Noctis was actually the one to break the silence and strike up conversation. He pointed to a sign that Luna had missed and asked a question about it.

        “Don't you remember?” Ignis asked hesitantly.

        “There was something about… a Solstice party. That's all I remember. I was little back then.”

        “And of course I have the burden of the memory.”

Ignis began explaining the painfully embarrassing memory. Most of the detail was lost to her over the sound of the wind, but Luna saw Noctis smile; she knew, from that smarmy look on his face, that he wanted to keep needling Ignis about it. She allowed it for a couple of moments as she was mostly enjoying the way the two interacted with each other. But then she cut in, coming to Ignis' rescue. She leaned over the two seats in front of her, waist catching on the seat belt, and said, “Hey, here's me changing the subject!” Noctis laughed, folding his arms loosely in front of himself. Ignis thanked her in an almost groan, but that's when Noctis tried to bring the embarrassing memories onto her.

She leaned forward and smiled at him. Oh, she was _ready_ for this.

Partway through her retelling of young Noctis wanting to be the moogle king, he called out for mercy. He rubbed his embarrassed face with both hands and then pointed over his shoulder towards her with his thumb.

        “She's mean. Can we throw her out or something?”

        Luna smiled, taking that as a compliment.

        “You reap what you sow, _Your Highness,_ ” replied Ignis, sounding completely amused.

        “Not cool,” said Noctis, eyes narrowed at his friend. “Not. _Cool_.”

He reached up and poked Ignis right on his cheek. Ignis tilted his head to the side and then reached over to pat Noctis on the leg. Luna grinned at the two of them and leaned back in her seat. She stared up at the sky, watching as fat clouds past them overhead. She thought this was great. The journey from Tenebrae to Odinheil, their next destination, would take two days, and part of that involved taking a bridge over a valley. The idea made her anxious, a little physically sick, but she didn't bring it up out loud. Maybe it wouldn't be as scary as it sounded. Maybe they would all just cross peacefully over thirteen foot valleys with nothing but a wooden bridge to keep them falling.

Yeah… _Maybe_.

They drove until they needed to switch drivers, and with Prompto at the helm, Luna could tell that they were going just the slightest bit faster. The Regalia gracefully bent around curves; it even took on a slightly rising hill with incredible ease. What surprised her wasn't Prompto's skill at the way he handled the Regalia, it was the emptiness of the streets. In the hours they had spent on the road, they hadn't passed by many other vehicles. She brought it up with them, and Noctis glanced back towards her.

        “Yeah, it's not normal…” He looked off for a minute and said, “But we just ignore it and try to pretend that it is.”

        “Sounds like a winning strategy,” Luna joked, in spite of the uneasiness in her stomach.

        “Hey, we're alive, ain't we?” Noctis shrugged, opening out both hands, and faced forward again.

Luna reached forward to ruffle his hair and then drew her hand back. He lazily plucked at the spiky fluff of his hair, but his hand fell away after a moment. He couldn't be bothered messing with it. When she felt herself getting tired, she drooped towards Gladio. It wasn't noticeable at first; she could hear him talking about some topic she wasn't quite familiar with as her body kept drifting over in his direction every time she nodded off. The next thing she knew, she had completely ducked off to the side and bumped into him with her shoulder. She sat up quickly, apologising sleepily.

Gladio reached up to hold her right arm. His free hand was used to quiet her down. He looked tired too, but the tilted smile on his face made him seem a bit livelier.

        “Are you tired?”

        “What? Wha– No, Gladio. I'm okay. We don't have to stop if–”

        Gladio brought his hand up again and raised his brows up at her. “Are you tired?” he repeated.

She started to speak, but then she met his eyes and relented. She was too tired to think of anything else.

        “Yeah,” she admitted. “Dog tired.”

        “You heard the lady,” Gladio said, lifting up his head. Prompto gave a thumbs up from the front seat. “We'll show you how to set up camp. Don't worry if you don't get it immediately, but if you manage to retain anything right now, consider that your test.”

        “Test?” Luna asked, blinking heavily.

She was thankful when Gladio coaxed her closer. She set her head against his chest, nearly melting against him from the burden of her fatigue. He stroked over her arm comfortingly.

        “Yeah, we all get one. Don't tell me you forgot,” he teased.

        Luna smiled lazily and tucked herself against him. “I must have…”

        “Alright, we'll give you two then just for that.”

        “Aww, don't be hard on the kid,” Prompto said, gesturing his right hand away from the steering wheel.

        “'Kid,'” Gladio repeated. He pointed at Prompto. “Says _you_.”

        “Hey, I've grown on this trip, alright? I'm not the same guy.”

        “Ya-huh. Just keep driving, new guy. Your test will be finding us a campground.”

        Prompto saluted with his hand. “Aye, aye!”

Luna fell back into a brief sleep. The easy movements of the car, the rumble and turn of Gladio's voice, the comforting strokes along her arm. It was unfair that she was unable to stay awake a bit longer, but who knew that such traveling by car would take so much out of her? She missed most of the ride as Prompto hunted for a safe zone. She opened her eyes when she heard the crunching of rocks underneath their tires. She blinked the sleep away, making soft noises to show she was awake, but they were also curious enough to let people know that if anyone had said anything to her, it would need repeating. No one said anything though as Prompto gently guided them to the left and off the road.

He slowly took a path between the trees, and eventually, they came across a clearing big enough for them to set up their tent in. Luna sat up and rubbed her eyes with the side and heel of her hand as she glanced around the darkness. The moon floated overhead but was only half full. The stars twinkled above her, and she felt a momentary state of peace. She followed after Gladio as he exited from the back seat. Ignis popped the trunk, which Gladio lifted open with one hand. Luna took the folded tent with its sticks wrapped up inside. She stepped off to the side and watched as the others worked out who would carry what. She smiled a bit and then continued forward once again when she saw them walk towards her.

        “Here's fine,” Ignis stated, pointing at a large patch of short grass when Luna looked.

        Gladio set down the folding chairs behind her, and Prompto came to her side. “Here,” he said. “Lemme show you how to get set up.”

        “Thanks.” She gave a soft laugh.

She followed his lead and was surprised by how easy it was to get a tent propped up. She had always imagined it to be more difficult with twined rope and wooden stakes– but then again, what she learned about adventuring was pretty outdated. Prompto unzipped the entrance flap and went back to the others. Luna peeked her head inside the tent and looked around. It didn't seem big enough to fit five people– but if it managed to hold the four of them, she supposed that she could squeeze in. Luna rocked her weight back onto her heels and let out a surprised squeal when her heels sank down into the earth. She caught herself with her right hand, left jutting up into the air.

        “You okay?” Noctis asked, voice dragging with his sleepiness.

        “Just– I'm okay!” Luna turned and placed both her hands on the ground.

She came to her feet and walked on her toes. Well, that wasn't entirely comfortable, not in these shoes anyway. She bent down to slide her shoes off and hooked them onto two fingers. Gladio smiled at her.

        “You're a nature girl now,” he teased. “Think you can stay up a little longer while we get dinner ready?”

        “I can hold out,” she said, though she wasn't entirely sure if she could.

        “Great. It won't take very long,” Ignis assured. “Our portions will be a bit meager until we get into town.”

        Luna waved a hand. “It's okay.”

Noctis walked by her with a pointed “Nn” and pat the back of her arm with his hand. She turned towards him, and he pointed towards one of the chairs. She followed him, sitting down in the chair, and Noctis sat down on the ground beside her. She widened her eyes ever so slightly and then looked around, noticing that they only had four chairs with them. Ignis watched them and then followed her train of sight before nodding to himself.

        “We'll need one more chair.”

        “Already on the list,” Gladio said offhandedly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Luna gave a meek smile. She would have apologised for the trouble, but they didn't seem to be put out. If anything, they were accepting her into their little flock with no difficulty at all. She looked down at her hands, slowly shifting her palms together. Noctis brought a hand up and opened it out to her. She glanced over to him, and for a while, she just stared. He quirked his fingers pointedly, not looking up at her. She unsurely placed a hand in his, and he gave it a little squeeze. He tipped his head up to her, and they stared into each other's eyes, silent for a moment.

        “Thanks for coming,” he said.

        Luna nodded and gave his hand a returning squeeze. “Why would I let you have all the adventure?”

        Noctis scoffed, smiling as he looked away. “Yeah. Why would you?”

She moved his hand under the flimsy arm rest of the folding chair and rested it against her thigh. They quietly held hands as Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis talked with each other. Ignis toasted slices of bread over the gas fire, and Luna's brows furrowed in silent amazement.

        “You guys really carry all of this?”

        “Mm?” Noctis opened his eyes slightly, rousing from his little cat nap. “Uh? Yeah. All the time.” He yawned.

        “Is it bad I think that's kinda silly?”

        “Not really.” Noctis smirked. “But you'll get used to it pretty quickly.”

        “I'm sure I will,” Luna said softly and looked back up towards the others.

Dinner was meager, yes, but it was still delicious. The crunch of bread made her hum in content, and the warm leftover stew was a surprising delight on her palette. The meat was still tender– the carrots a bit softer than they would have been freshly served, but Luna didn't complain. It wasn't enough to fill her up, but she was incredibly content with what she had eaten.

        “I can't wait for the next thing,” she said, patting a hand on her stomach as she offered up her dish to Gladio.

        “Probably fish,” Noctis said next to her, “if I have anything to say about it.” He grinned and looked to Ignis and Gladio, who were finally fixing themselves a bowl now that everyone else had eaten.

        “How about I break your fishing pole?” Gladio asked, raising a brow over at a Noctis.

        Noctis placed his hands over his heart, swaying a little. “Oh come on. You wouldn't do that to me.”

        Gladio chuckled and turned away. “I couldn't think of a better guy.”

        “Cold.” Noctis pushed up to his feet and grabbed his bowl. “And I'm going to bed.”

        “Me too.” Luna grabbed her shoes and stood up as well. “Unless you need me to help with anyth—”

        “Your time will come,” Ignis interjected. He pointed his middle and ring fingers towards the tent. “For now, have your rest. We'll discuss more in the morning.”

        “Thanks, Ignis.” Luna turned away from him, and knowing that sleep was so close, her body felt weighed down by fatigue.

Her steps were heavy as she walked past Noctis. When she knelt down in front of the tent, she heard his footsteps behind her. She left her shoes by the entrance and crawled inside. When she came to the middle of the tent, she sat back on her legs and stared at the smooth canvas. It was more spacious than she originally thought, but… She had no idea how this was going to go.

        “Here,” Noctis grunted behind her as he stepped inside. He leaned down and set down a bed roll. It was a simple black cushion. He yawned while he straightened it out and yawned again when he motioned for her to take the cushion.

        “Noctis, I can't–”

        “Shh. Already decided.” He waved off her concern and then pat the cushion more pointedly this time. “Plus, I've slept on the floor like a dozen times already. A couple more nights aren't gonna hurt me.”

She glanced at him unsurely and crawled forward onto the cushion. It was pretty comfortable. Noctis slid up beside her and flopped onto his back. She watched him, curling her arms around her legs slowly. When Noctis took notice, he raised his brows at her.

        “Nothing,” she assured, shaking her head.

        “You sure?”

        “Yeah. It's just… good to be here. I hope I'll fit in–” She shrugged. “Not knock off your system any.”

        “Well.” Noctis grunted as he turned onto his right side, facing towards her. “I think you'll be fine. Everyone's happy to see you; just hope you can tolerate us.”

        “I'll do more than that.” She laughed as she came down to her side, facing him.

        “Oh yeah? Gonna try and be the Queen around here?” asked Noctis with his eyes closed.

        Luna grinned, eyes squinting slightly as she did. “Well, I didn't say _that_.”

        “No, no. Please do. I'm tired of being the prince. Take over for a while.”

        “So, should I be the Queen or should I be the prince?” she asked, pointing her finger from one side to the other.

        Noctis waved his left hand into the air, making tired circles. “But whateeever it is you wanna be. Right now, I want to be asleep.”

        “Of _course_ that's your answer.” She laughed again.

Noctis merely smiled but didn't say anything else. She knew he was tired. She rocked forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

        “G'night, Noctis.”

        “Night, Queen Prince.”

Luna laughed at that. She then nestled down on her side, and after a brief look around the tent that sheltered her new life, she went to sleep.


	2. You'd Know Trouble if it Bit You

The next day was seriously beautiful. Luna woke slowly. She was suddenly aware of Noctis pressed against her, his face buried against her neck and an arm around her waist. She could also feel his steady breathing; each inhale made a soft, tiny sound. Luna adored how cute he was in his sleep. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Looking up, she noticed that Ignis was awake as well. He sat up carefully and placed his glasses on his face. He looked to her and then pointed at the entrance. She nodded her head and let him exit first. She turned her attention down to Noctis and almost didn't want to leave, if only because he made sleeping seem like the best idea in the world– if not, the only thing to do. She reached down and gently pulled his hand away. She crawled away from the bedroll, almost wanting to nudge him onto it, but she wasn't sure if that would wake him from his sleep. So instead, she bent forward and crawled out of the tent.

The grass felt so much softer underneath her. It was a bit wet with dew, and she curled her toes against the ground. Closing her eyes, Luna opened her arms, rose up onto her toes, and stretched. She made a soft squeak before dropping her arms down. She saw Ignis staring off into the distance, one hand on his blazer lapel and the other in his pocket. She looked to where he was facing, and _oh_. The mountains in the distance…

She made a soft sound of wonder and moved nearer to Ignis. She stood at his side and the two enjoyed the sight silently. The clearing they had settled in was just off the main road, which she could see from where they were standing. The earth close to the road dipped down and flattened out; there was at least an acre or two of clear land in front of them. The hills rose on the other side of the street but just past and much taller than them were mountains, silhouetted by a fog that had rolled in overnight. She looked behind them to the trees, and there was a beaten path with tire track lines. Then there was their little eating set up, which seemed so much more… involved than she had noticed last night. They really did carry all of this, didn't they? The reality of it all made her laugh. She turned to right then, continuing to look behind her. There was the tent and less than ten feet away was the Regalia, which was pointed towards the forest path.

It was peaceful waking up to this.

        She looked forward again and took in a deep breath through her nose. “I could get used to this.”

        “Could you?” Ignis turned slightly towards her. “Well, that's certainly a positive attitude.”

        “I just wanna embrace it.” She brought her hands together in front of herself. “Plus, I have you, Noctis, and everyone else– I don't feel too afraid to do this.”

Ignis tipped his head down and smiled. He rocked forward onto his right foot and then shifted backwards. “It makes me happy to hear that, Luna. It really does.”

Their eyes met again, and she nodded. The right corner of Ignis' lips quirked up higher just a little bit.

        “Going to Odinheil will be incredibly beneficial,” he said. “We'll get you all the supplies you need as there are many thing we need to take care of while we're there.” He turned to face her completely, uncurling his middle and index fingers as he made a circle with his hand. “Also, we don't try to make things difficult in our group. It took us a little while to build a communication system that worked best for us.” He reached out to touch her shoulder. “But by no means does that mean you're not included.

        “Continue being yourself, and we'll all learn together. While we're not entirely used to having a female presence with us, we'll do as best as we can to respect your privacy or help you when you're in need. We're all we have out here…” Luna reached up to touch his wrist. “I just wanted you to know that.”

        “Thanks, Ignis. _Really_.” She looked down, closed her eyes, and then looked to the mountains again. “I just don't want to get in the way.”

        “Oh please do. Get in the way; I feel it's the only way you'll learn with us.”

        That relaxed her. She laughed and looked back to him. “Really?”

        He drew his hand back and motioned for her to follow. “Ah, there's no reason you shouldn't know about how we originally started.” He paused and then pointed down. “How're your feet?”

        “I'm okay.” She lifted up her right foot and looked at it. “So tell me. It wasn't a perfect paradise where all the pieces fell in place?”

        Ignis chuckled, and Luna felt happy to hear the sound. “ _Hardly_. We were a certified mess, but… I think we had fun with it.”

        “Yeah?”

        Ignis looked to her and nodded. “Yes.”

They wandered around the clearing together. Ignis told her stories about their first bout with Magitek and their clumsy attempts at chaining combos together. It was embarrassing; she could tell from the way his lips twitched into an almost smile or the way he brought his hand up to his face before he could finish a sentence. Sometimes, he groaned at something particularly painful, but he managed to tell her anyway. And Luna had never experienced second hand embarrassment so hard in her _life!_ Her cheeks were red from where she kept bringing her hands to her face. She felt she would get light headed if she kept gasping as much as she did. But it was the laughs that each story brought her that made her keep asking.

And when Ignis came to the more somber parts of his tale, her heart wasn't weighed down heavily. She nodded and listened. It would only make sense that misfortunes would happen. This wasn't really a voluntary road trip, and all of this to come and see her? She felt even better about making the decision to go with them.

        “Well– all of this makes me realise something,” Luna said.

        “And what's that?”

        “I'm going to be the only embarrassing one. You four have it all figured out now.”

        “Oh, don't worry about that. There's still chance aplenty for us to make fools of ourselves. One more just adds to the memory.”

        Luna laughed and tipped towards him. “Yeah?”

        Ignis threw an arm around her and gave a squeeze. “Undoubtedly.”

They walked back to the camp together, seeing Prompto wave both of his arms in the air as if he was trying to flag them down.

        “Morning!” Ignis shouted to him.

Gladio turned around at the sound of his voice, and Luna raised her free hand to wave.

        “Noct's already gone off,” Gladio said when they were closer. “Probably going to look for a fishing spot. I dunno if he'll find any out here.”

        “He took the pole anyway,” Prompto added. “So he might be able to knock something over the head and drag it back.”

        “Aah, caveman style. My favourite kind of food.”

        “What'd you two do this morning?” Prompto asked, looking to Luna.

        “Just walked around.” She looked over her shoulder to the mountains. “It's really nice out here.”

        Prompto leaned up on his feet, peeking around her and Ignis. “Yeah, it is… Hey, you wanna help with the cleaning?”

        “Sure.” She shrugged.

        “You're still barefoot,” Ignis said to her. “They might be unsuitable, but wearing your shoes would be better than none.”

        “I hear ya,” Prompto agreed as he stacked the dishes into the stew point. “We're gonna go hunting for water and bring back what we can.”

        Luna drew away from Ignis. “Sounds good.”

She walked back to the tent and saw her shoes still set together in front of it. She reached down to grab them; her fingers were assaulted by the gentle chill of dew and nighttime cold. She slipped them on anyway and shuddered bodily.

        “Bad idea,” she mumbled to herself, making a note to bring her shoes inside with her next time. She turned around. “Ready to go?”

        “You bet!” Prompto bent down and pulled up a bucket. “We'll be back!”

        “See ya in a bit.” Gladio said, now sitting in a chair.

He had a book open in his lap, and he looked pretty engrossed in it. Luna bent down to read the cover as they passed by, but she couldn't see the title. Walking with Prompto was more spirited than it was with Ignis. He talked about his dreams and mused about the ages of all the trees. Luna joined him. She didn't remember her dreams at all, but it was fun to speculate on their significance. And the trees– there were so many that stood tall around them. She couldn't even fathom seeing the years pass by like these things have. She said as much to Prompto, and they slowed their steps to peer up at the gargantuan plants.

        “Yeah,” Prompto said almost dreamily. “I couldn't imagine either…”

On their way down the path, they ran into Noctis, who had a pretty large fish in his hand. He was holding it by the tail, and from what Luna could guesstimate, it had to be about the size of his forearm. He raised it victoriously as they passed by. Prompto grinned and slapped Noctis in the arm with the back of his free hand. He gave a thumbs up and faced forward again.

        “Fish it is then,” Luna said.

        Prompto laughed. “Yup!”

They found the water Noctis had fished in and got a big helping with the bucket they brought along. Prompto struggled to drag the bucket out with both hands. Laughing, Luna reached over to help him, and the two of them staggered back into the camp with both their hands clapsed tight on the handle. The rest of their morning felt incredibly domestic. She and Prompto cleaned off the dishes from last night and reminisced about childhood. Gladio helped prepare the fish as Noctis stood by asking ridiculous questions just to be obnoxious.

After breakfast, she watched as the men figured out when to do laundry and snorted when they all did sniff tests on themselves. “You all smelled fine to me,” she said, opening out her hands and shrugging. Apparently, that helped in the decision making. They had spare clothes in the trunk— what _wasn't_ in that thing?— and headed down to the river to take care of their own hygiene. Gladio grabbed the bucket, which he dumped out onto their fire before following the others.

Luna was alone, but she was happy. She skygazed, watching as the fog slowly thinned over time to reveal the thicker clouds in the sky. She heard the others coming based on Prompto's sudden yelp. He rubbed his lower back, shying away from Noctis who began winding his towel single handedly for another assault. Ignis reached down and grabbed the prince by his wrist, effectively stopping the rat tail tyranny. Luna snorted a laugh.

When they finally did pack up to leave, she sank down in the back between Noctis and Gladio this time. When they hit the main road, she turned her head towards their little camping spot and smiled before looking away.

        “If we have to, we should just drive through the night,” Prompto offered. He gestured towards their navigation. “But I doubt it. Look, we're basically there anyway.”

        “It shouldn't take more than six hours,” Ignis mused. After a thoughtful moment, he nodded his head. “Let's power through it.”

        “There ya go!” Prompto brought his left hand back behind his head and leaned back in his seat.

        “Things get a little hinky in these parts,” Gladio said aloud. “Anything with the mountainside, I learned more than a few lessons from.”

        “I bet.” Luna leaned forward, placing her hands on Prompto and Ignis' seats. “What's that?”

        “Hm?” Prompto looked up to her and then out to the dip in the grass. There was a deer like creature with a crescent shaped horns arching out from its head. Its spikes were relaxed against its back. “ _That_ thing is trouble. You know how many times Noct and I got chased by those things?”

        “What things?” Noctis looked as well and then clicked his tongue. “Oh. T _hose_ bastards.”

        “I feel like I'm hanging out with the right crowd,” Luna began jokingly. “I've always wanted to be chased by wild animals.”

        “Well, just stick around.” Prompto rocked his right hand in front of himself, hand curled into a slight fist. “I'm sure it's only a matter of time.”

        Luna drew back into her seat. “ _Great_.”

It was new to watch the daytime pass while on the road. When they came to the valley with the wooden bridge, Luna brought her hands over her face and ducked forward. She wasn't sure if she was afraid of heights or not, but this was a little too much for her to take in right now. She felt two hands on her back and mumbled “Thank you” against her palms. There was a heavy sense of dread that weighed down on her mind. Even after passing the bridge, she didn't feel quite okay for a little while.

When it was close to noon, they came to a pit stop to check their progress. Luna almost hopped out, nearly jumping over Noctis as he opened the door. She rushed inside, trying not to look _so_ desperate for the bathroom, but she knew that no one would mistake the little dance she did as anything cultural. When it was time to head out again, the Regalia made an _awful_ noise that gave everyone pause. Gladio stepped out then and checked under the hood. Luna heard him groan and then saw his fingers come to the top of the hood.

        “You don't do oil changes here, do you?” he shouted.

        An attendant stopped and shook their head. “No, sir!”

        “Welp.” After a moment, the hood was brought down, and Gladio came back around. “We're gonna need a check up real soon.”

        “What is it?”

        Gladio counted off on his fingers. “We're low on oil; antifreeze is empty, and I think the headlight fluid is the only thing we have an abundance of.”

        Prompto leaned over to check the dashboard. “Well, that and _gas_.”

        Ignis brought his hand back over towards his mounted phone. Luna stared at the map as well. “We should hurry along then. Odinheil's not too far now.”

        Gladio came into the back seat as Prompto waved at the map. “Whoa, look at this. This path's _way_ shorter than the other side of the mountain! Just one or two more hours, and we should be set.”

        Noctis groaned in relief and then nudged Luna in the arm with his elbow. “You okay?”

        “Huh?” She perked up. “Yeah, I'm fine. Why?”

        “You almost clawed my eyes out to get out to the bathroom.”

        She grinned. “I did _not!”_

        “You did,” Noctis replied coolly, smiling as well. “You were scratching at your belt and then reaching out over me. I was afraid to get in the cross fire.”

        “Shut up.” She leaned over and pushed him with her weight.

Noctis laughed and Gladio with him. Luna crossed her arms playfully over her chest and pouted for effect. As they went, the Regalia continued to make unpleasant noises, sometimes even losing speed and kicking forward. Unease set heavy with Luna, and she was sure the rest of them felt just as bad as well. It wasn't long before the luxury car finally broke down. Everyone groaned all at once, flopping over and gesturing their dismay in their own unique ways. The moment made Luna strangely happy as this form of bonding was not one she had planned on experiencing.

Thankfully, being nearer to a city meant that there was more traffic, and it only took three cars passing by before someone with a truck stopped to help. A dark skinned guy with black scars streaking all the way up his right arm pulled up in front of them. Gladio had got out to explain the situation. The man crossed his arms and stared at their vehicle. When it was all clear to him, he nodded and pointed to his truck.

        “I can give ya a tow to a mechanic in town.”

        “You're a life saver,” Prompto enthused, opening his arms out slowly to the sky.

The man clapped hands with Gladio, and they shared a one armed hug. Gladio asked if the man would need any payment, and the good Samaritan scoffed, looking almost put off by the offer. He knelt down and hooked up the undercarriage of the Regalia to the back of his truck. Luna unbuckled herself, reached back, and sat up on the back of the seat. Ignis switched gears into neutral. When they were on the move, Noctis reached forward with a foot and tapped the center console.

        “It must be _killing_ you not to be in control,” he teased.

        “More than you know,” Ignis replied dryly at the joke.

Luna smiled to herself and watched as the traffic and world passed them by. Past the silver plated sign laid Odinheil, a moderately busy metropolis with dark schemed, geometric buildings. Luna hadn't ever seen anything like this before, so used she was to Kingdoms and provinces with more or less the same formula about them. When they came to the body shop, there was a unified cry of “Cindyyy!” from Gladio, Noctis, and Prompto.

There was a curly haired blonde woman standing next to a black truck currently set up on a ramp. She turned towards them in surprise, but then a big smile took over her face. Luna's eyes widened. She thought the other blonde was pretty– gorgeous even. The female mechanic's clothes took Luna by surprise if only because she wasn't accustomed to anyone showing that much skin. Cindy took confident steps forward and waved. Her country greeting of “Hey, y'all!” made Luna's heart swoon. The tone was melodic, a little scratchy, and she found she liked Cindy's voice.

        “Now what are _you_ doing here?” Cindy asked as the Regalia was pulled parallel in to a parking space.

        “Getting into trouble,” Gladio assured. “We've got a favour to ask of ya, if you're not too busy.”

        “None at all. Me an' Pawpaw were just passin' through, doin' some business.” Cindy then looked up and met eyes with Luna. Her brows lifted, but then another smile came to her face. “An' who're _you_?”

        “Luna.” She touched a hand to her chest. “I guess you must be Cindy.”

        “You guess right.” Cindy nodded, effortlessly (and almost seductively) shifting her weight onto another leg. “You boys say anything good about me?”

        Prompto spoke up with “We haven't had a chance to talk much about you yet.”

        “Cin's our guardian angel,” Gladio added. “Helped us out when we were stranded from the get-go.”

        “I'm _always_ around when they need me,” Cindy said in a singsong voice. She then motioned a hand, coaxing Luna to come down. “Well then, c'mere. Lemme get a good look at ya.”

Luna drew her legs back and turned around, sliding down the trunk of the Regalia and coming to the ground. Cindy strode up to her and placed her hands on Luna's shoulders. She gave the other blonde a once over, slightly turning Luna this way and that before nodding. Whatever she saw was satisfactory, and Luna thought she was going to blush.

        “You're in tip top shape. I see the boys weren't too rough on ya. How long you've been with 'em?”

        “Just a day now.” Luna teetered her right hand. “Day and a half, really.”

        Cindy nodded and looked back to the others. “I'll tell Pawpaw y'all're here, and we're gonna talk, just us girls.”

Luna laughed, feeling nervous. Along with this admiration she felt, she respected Cindy because she had been helping the guys a lot. Prompto was honest in that they didn't talk much about her, but when they brought her up, they were completely fond. She could tell that there were some obvious crushing going on, but now that she was here, she could get it.

Cindy led Luna along to the mechanic's shop. Their arms were hooked together, Cindy's free hand resting on Luna's forearm. They entered into the front where Cindy greeted an older man and introduced Luna.

        “She's their friend, and boy, I tell you– they're already in a mess.”

        The older man laughed and made his way closer. “What happened?”

        “Broke down and don't even know what it is yet. Down on fluids, but unless they've been runnin' on empty for _days_ , I don't think the car should be makin' these awful noises.”

Luna merely listened as they talked shop to each other, using lingo that she wasn't sure was mechanical or their own way of communicating. It also helped that their accents hinted they were from another region entirely, so she also wasn't sure how much of that was pure dialect. The older man laughed and shook his head, looking out to the door past them.

        “Boy howdy… Alright. I'll go say hey.”

        “You best. We'll be out in a minute.”

The man left, and Cindy pulled Luna over towards the counter. She unhooked their arms and motioned to the drinks.

        “Coffee? Juice, tea?”

        “Coffee'll be fine.” And then with a jerk, Luna corrected herself. “Actually, I'll take a juice.”

        “'s right over there.” Cindy pointed to a refrigerated display case. Luna walked over and saw that there was an arrangement of drinks inside. “Don't worry about the price. I'll just add it to their tab.”

Luna laughed and realised it was just a tease when she slid open the door and saw that none of the drinks were price labeled. She picked up an orange juice bottle. She closed the door shut and watched as Cindy prepared herself a cup of coffee. Heavy on the sugar and cream, but really, Luna didn't blame her. She touched her hip against the counter, unscrewing the top from the bottle before taking a sip.

        “So what's got you travelin' with them?” Cindy blew on the cup of hot liquid and turned to face Luna. “It's gonna be awful hard; you know that, right?”

        “Yeah.” Luna gave a small shrug. “It was just a case of necessity, I guess. Just one of those things where it only made sense for us to be together right now instead of trying to tackle our problems with all the scattered odds and ends.”

It was vague– it didn't explain much, but she wasn't sure how much Cindy needed to know or what she already knew. Still, Cindy merely hummed and nodded her head. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed.

        “I hear that, but still, if'n you're gonna stay with them, I'm gonna worry about you all the same.” She looked to Luna. “We're all family here, and I like to make sure we take care of each other.”

        Luna smiled and nodded. “We will, Cindy.”

        “You had better.” Cindy wagged a finger. “I don't like it when people break promises.”

        A laugh. “I won't; I promise.”

        “Good.” Cindy took another drink and looked towards the outside.

Luna drank to disguise herself observing Cindy's profile. Cindy was very pretty up close– she was kind too. Getting that sense of protectiveness from someone she barely knew warmed her up in a way. She was definitely glad to be here. When Cindy turned back, Luna stared down at her feet. They talked a little in between their drinks. They threw away their empty cup and bottle, their laughter mingling together in the empty space of the concession room. Cindy sauntered out the front door, determination motivating each step. She placed her hands on her hips, and Luna came up beside her.

        “Now, how long is this 'trouble' gonna set them back?” Cindy asked her grandfather.

        Her Pawpaw leaned back from the hood, wiping his hands with the towel. “'Bout three days now.”

        “Three days…” Cindy repeated. There was something playful and ominous in her voice. Luna diverted to stand next to the passenger door. She watched as Cindy walked by each of the guys, jokingly narrowing her eyes at them.

        “C'mere, young lady,” came the gentle voice, and Luna pushed away to come to the man's side.

        He outstretched a hand. “M'name's Cid.” Luna shook his hand, and he pointed to Cindy. “That there's m' gran'daughter.”

        “Nice to meet you.”

        “Ain't you just polite?” He laughed and drew his hand back, focusing down on the car. “Now, this here's a special piece of equipment, and I need someone to take care of this, you hear?”

        Luna blinked and then nodded. “Y-yes, sir.”

Cid glanced to the others and then stepped closer, dropping his voice into a secretive tone. “Those knuckle heads can't keep out of trouble for _nothin'_.” Luna laughed, and he smiled at her, adding, “Now, I'm serious. I hate to think of them being stranded without someone sensible to help them keep their heads on.” He moved back directly in front of the car, waving his hands a bit. “They all know a little bit about this and that, but if they can't fix issues like this, I dunno what to tell 'im. I think if I can tell you, you can convince them to get help sooner rather than later.”

        Luna nodded. “All ears.”

        “Right now, lemme tell you the type of tools you'll need to fix most basic problems.”

Cid bent down for his toolbox. Luna placed her hands behind her back, rocking steadily as she waited. She repeated each name and felt over the tools when Cid handed them over to her. She looked up when Noctis laughed. He clapped his hands together and rocked back onto one foot, eyes nearly closed as he laughed at Gladio. Cindy stood off to the side, smiling at Noctis. Luna then refocused when Cid stood up and began to break down, in simple terms, what the issue was with the car.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she didn't even mind. Cid answered her questions when she had them; he told her what certain parts were when she pointed to them. She felt a gentle hand rest between her shoulders and Cindy leaned over to her left.

        “Y'all havin' fun?”

        “We sure are, ain't we?” Cid looked to Luna, who nodded.

        “The boys wanna head on the store, an' they're gonna need Miss Lady here.”

        “I should get going then.” Luna pushed back and nodded to Cid. “It was nice meeting you. I'm learning a lot.”

        “I'm glad you are,” Cid said to her. “Be safe now; we'll be seeing you soon.” He wiped his hands before patting her on the back.

        Luna waved to him, and Cindy said, “Bye then!”

Luna turned back to the other blonde and smiled brightly at Cindy, who merely tipped her hat. Luna turned away and came to join the others as they walked towards the street. Ignis pulled out spare change for each of them to catch the bus. Luna curled her fingers around the gilded coins and touched her lips to her knuckles.

There was a new fondness in her heart for this place and her 'family'.


	3. Before You Know It, You're One of Us

****“What do we need as far as supples?” Ignis asked once they had arrived at a strip mall.

        “A tonne of stuff,” Gladio said, pulling out his phone and going through the list. “We just need things for–” He pointed blindly towards Luna.

        “Right. Hygienic things. Make sure you get those.” Ignis placed a hand on his hip and slowly tapped the air with the index finger of his other hand. “We'll also need an extra chair and another bed roll, but we can get those when it's time to go.”

        “Noted with the silverware.” Gladio nodded as he typed on his phone, which he soon handed over to Luna. “I don't know how to buy your stuff, but just type it in and I'll get it.”

Luna hesitated for a moment, briefly shocked, before she took the device. All of her necessities suddenly flew out of her mind the minute she held the phone in her hands. She let out a brief “Uh…” and slowly typed in the first item on her fragmented list. She walked slowly in a circle as everything came to her mind little by little. She could hear the others planning their next moves. They all sounded so nonchalant, and here Luna was, pacing a small circle beside them. Once at the end of her list, Luna frowned by how many things she added. She walked up to Gladio and handed the phone back to him.

        “Is that too much…?” she asked.

        “Nah. If you need it, we're gettin' it. Besides, we're going bounty hunting after this, so might as well just make the whole list. Whatever we don't get now, we'll get later with the money from the mission.” He lifted his head and looked to Noctis and Prompto. “'ey! Either one of you want anything?”

        “Nah, I'm good,” Noctis said, shoving Prompto away.

        “Band-aids.” Prompto jolted away when he was pushed but didn't look fazed. He raised his hands in the air, staring at the space between his fingers, which he used to make the shape of a rectangle. “With little chocobos on them.”

        “I'll check the kids' aisle and grab 'em if I see 'em.”

        Prompto gave a double thumbs up and then looked to Noctis. “Well, we're going to the inn then. Luna.” He placed a hand on his hip and tilted his head towards the other blonde. “Coming with?”

        She hummed and rocked back. “No, I think I'll just go shopping for a bit and get what I need.”

        “We can call you when everything's settled.” Ignis adjusted the gloves on his hands.

        Luna froze and then tapped her fingers together nervously. “I don't… have a phone.”

        “Oh.” Ignis' fingers curled towards his palm. “Well then–”

        “I'll just come get you,” Gladio said. “Where're you gonna be?”

        “In one of these stores.” She pointed at the boutiques lined up near them. “I won't walk around too much.”

        “Alright. Everyone ready?” Gladio looked around.

        “Ready,” the others said, Luna included.

After the brief good-byes, Luna made her way to the first store closest to them. She walked around slowly, trying to find things that were in her size. But then, it quickly became an issue of finding things that she even would have _liked_. She frowned, lips turned slightly to the side as she walked between the racks. She fingered through the selection, and after much aimless wandering around, she found a lightweight cotton, sleeveless black turtleneck. She held it up against her chest and liked the fact that it was a crop top. She nodded and moved on through the other clothing options. She paid for the shirt when she didn't find much else. The store next door seemed a bit more promising with relaxed streetwear on display that made her feel infinitely more comfortable.

In there, she found high waisted earth brown cargo pants. Curious, she tried them on. The waist was a built in sash that wrapped around her belly and tied on her right side. She found two pairs of black knee high socks to go with the pants and a pair of knee length shorts that sagged just slightly on her hips but fit perfectly without a belt. She also grabbed a pair of fingerless gloves that fit up to her elbow. The gloves had a cool frayed design near the end where they thinned out and became threadbare around the edges. After paying and exiting out of the store, she ran into Gladio, who smiled in greeting to her.

        “Looks like we're both hitting the town,” she said, nodding to the numerous bags he held in each hand.

        “This is nothing,” he replied, following her into another store. “You should see us on a good day.”

        Luna closed her eyes and shook her head. “Goddess…”

Almost immediately, once they were inside, Luna spotted a dark, almost black-blue drape front jacket on one of the mannequins. It had an asymmetrical hem that was longer in the front and came down to her knees. Her eyes widened slightly. Gladio came beside her, nudging her gently with his elbow.

        “Get it,” he said. “It'll look good on you.”

She didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed the jacket and found a pair of boots with a drop dead aesthetic. The boots were leather; their toes were slightly lifted. Half-belts draped over the outer sides of the boots; silver zippers were on the inner sides. The folded down tops had a light blue and black pattern. The gunmetal black caught her eye, but what really sold her were the spikes going up the back of the shoes.

She had spent a lot of money on clothes. Shopping was never really something that got her excited, but today was different, if only because she _needed_ to go. It didn't hurt that it represented a new change in her as well. She turned away from the counter to see Gladio standing behind her. He gestured his left hand towards her bags.

        “Need me to carry something?”

        “Wha?” She glanced down to his full hands and back up at him. “ _No!”_ Gladio laughed and turned around. She pushed at him with her arm. “Are you serious? Look at your hands!”

        “I know; I know,” he said with a grin.

        She pointed at them anyway. “No. _Look_.” When he did, she said, “Do you _see_ that?”

        “I told you this is nothing.”

        Luna shook her head. “Madness,” she said with a sigh, walking ahead of him and turning around.

She pushed open the door with her back and held it open for Gladio as he headed out. They walked out to the sidewalk, and Gladio set his bags down, pulling out his phone and bus pass. He turned the paper pass around with his fingers.

        “Ignis says they're at the Casa del Sol _apartments_.”

        “Apartments?”

        “Vacation apartments, but still…” He trailed off and read over something new on his phone. After a while, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and held out the bus pass for her. “Hold this for me.”

        “Mm-hm.”

        He bent down to gather all of the bags once and stood up with a slight groan. “It's right down the road, but our bus should be coming soon.”

        “Right behind you.”

Luna felt the tension in her muscles from carrying the differently weighted bags by the time she got on the bus, put down her things to swipe both their passes, picked up her bags again, got off the bus, walked down the street with the bags, and entered into the apartment lobby. She curled her arms, drawing her full hands up to her face, and let them down again with a tired sigh.

        “You're gonna beef up those noodle arms hanging with us,” Gladio teased. “Just give it some time.” When Ignis appeared, Gladio held up his hands, allowing the other male to take as many bags as he wished. “So why the apartments?”

        “Many out of towners in the city. A lot of the inns are busy. Must be an event or something similar going on.” Ignis shrugged when he spoke, merely speculating himself. He turned and led the duo towards the stairs. Luna looked down at the rich brown carpet, carefully measuring each step she took. She had to lean up on her toes as she walked. “One of the staff from the last inn we tried actually told us to come here. Said it'd be cheaper for our group considering the size.”

        “So we'll be living in style for three days.”

        “Four,” Ignis corrected. “Again, discounted rates.”

        Gladio smirked. “Of course.”

Their apartment door was tugged open just as they approached. Prompto looked as if he was ready to run out when he nearly bumped into them. He stepped out of the way, holding the door open to let them all walk in.

        “Where were you going in a hurry?” Ignis asked.

        “Vending machine down the street,” replied Prompto brightly. He closed the door and followed after. “Luuuuna~ Didja something nice?”

        Luna hummed in the positive as she looked down at her bags. “I think I did anyway.”

Prompto led her towards the living room while Gladio and Ignis headed to the kitchen. — “I didn't get any perishables,” Gladio said. “Figured since we'd be here and all.” Ignis replied in an approving tone. — Luna hurried over and set her things on the couch. She let out a long breath of relief just to be free of the bags for a moment. Noctis lazily tipped his head over and let out a sharp huff through his nose.

        “Looks like you were busy.”

        “We're gonna have a Luna fashion show,” Prompto said, crossing his arms over the back of the couch.

        “Apparently.” Noctis reached forward to touch the handholds of one of the bags but then let it drop away.

Luna smiled as she shifted through each bag, trying to figure out what item was in each one. She then raised her head, looking to the corridor behind Prompto.

        “Which one is… my room?”

        “Whatever one you want.” Noctis waved a hand. “I'm sleeping on the couch.”

        “You could just… share a room with someone, y'know,” Prompto said.

        _“But_ I get the couch all to _myself_. No one to bother me.”

        “Until we need to do something in here.”

        “Until _then_ ,” Noctis replied, pointing a finger at Prompto. “it's great.” He swept his finger to the side.

Luna shook her head and walked to the bedrooms. There were only three rooms for sleeping: one to her immediate left and two along the wall to her right. The room in front of her was the bathroom. The only one from what she could tell. She peeked in each door curiously. The first one to her left didn't seem occupied. She looked in the other rooms as well and saw Ignis' blazer draped over the side of one bed. In the other room, Prompto's vest and red tartan shirt were piled on his. She stepped back towards the first room and closed the door behind her. She dropped all the bags onto her bed and began pulling out each of her new clothes.

Her heels came off first followed by her white dress. She let it pool around her ankles before she kicked it up with her right leg. She dropped her dress onto the bed and reached out for the socks and pants. The black socks felt sleek over her skin; the sole of her feet felt the cool comfort of the socks' padding. Rethinking, she went for the shorts instead and pulled them on. She turned towards her dresser which had a large mirror over it. Luna raised up onto her feet, checking herself out before setting on her feet and staring at her reflection's chest. She wore a plain white bra with a low back. She reached her hands up, pausing for a moment before she lifted her breasts and brought them up closer together. She turned this way and that, wondering if she liked the image she saw of herself.

A knock at her door made her yelp in surprise.

        She reached up, tucking the blonde hairs behind her ears. “Y-yeah?”

        Gladio's voice piped up from the other side. “Got somethin' for ya.”

She walked open to the door and cracked it open enough to where she could lean over and see him. He reached into the plastic bag and pulled out a three-pack of panties for her. She took the pack and watched as he reached in again, this time pulling out a similar pack of black underwear. She read the label _high_ _-ride boxer briefs_ and glanced up to him.

        “I think those are a little more comfortable in my opinion.”

        She smirked at him and lifted up the pack of panties. “More comfortable than _these_?”

        “Hey, don't judge me,” he jested.

She grinned. He winked at her and went back towards the living room. She closed the door with her hip and continued on with changing. She tugged on the black crop top and then pulled on the drape top jacket after. Finally, she put on the boots, turning her foot this way and that with an appreciative nod. After one last glance to her reflection, she stepped out of her bedroom and called for everyone's attention. She raised her arms up at her sides as she entered the living room. The others threw up their compliments. Ignis was leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, and he nodded his head at what he saw.

        “Looking sharp.”

        “Looking bad _ass_ ,” Prompto corrected.

        Luna tugged at her jacket and spun around, showing off the back of her boots. “I've got a pair of pants too,” she said. “But I got the shorts just in case.”

        Noctis, who was now leaning over the back of the couch, pointed at her shoes. “What size are those?”

        “It's a… six in junior men's…?” She tilted her head back and furrowed her brows, thinking on it.

        Noctis frowned. “You've really small feet.”

        “Yeah…” She dragged out the word almost thoughtfully. She stretched out a foot, turned it side to side on the heel, and then drew it back. “Alright, pants time.”

She spun around and headed back to her room. It didn't take her long to change into the cargo pants. She placed her hands into her pockets, pleasantly surprised when her hands sunk down to an inch or so above her wrist. After redoing her boots, she stuck her hands back into her pockets and strolled out of the room all cool like. The reaction was surprisingly more favourable.

        “I can borrow those, right?” Noctis asked, his chin resting on his crossed forearms.

        “Maybe if I'm generous,” Luna teased.

        As Ignis walked closer to her, Gladio said, “You look good.”

        “Thanks.”

She smiled and then stood up straight as Ignis gave her a once over. He lifted the draping lapels. She pulled off her jacket for him when he gestured for her to and draped it over her arm. He reached forward to adjust the shirt better over her form, even uncurling one part of the hem under her left arm. He then plucked off a piece of lint from her shoulder and moved around the back. His expression was blank, but his eyes were sharp as he analysed every little detail. Luna's shoulders tilted forward just the slightest bit as she laughed silently.

        “It's like watching a wildcat groom its cub,” Prompto stage whispered, clearly amused.

Luna curled her left hand into a paw and hummed sweetly. Prompto grinned at the sight, and Noctis even huffed out a little laugh. Ignis stood in front of her, gesturing for her to put her hands in her pockets. She did; the jacket sagged down over the point where her arm and pocket met. Ignis focused on the more visible pocket and nodded in approval at the depth.

        “You're ready,” he said.

        “I hope I am.” She looked to him nervously, pulling a hand out to rub it against her thigh.

        He reached forward and squeezed her forearm. “You will be.” He then looked to the others. “Ideas for lunch?”

        Gladio lifted up a hand. “Ramen.”

        “Chicken!” Prompto perked up.

        Noctis tipped his head to the left, eyes falling closed. “Anything except what these two want is fine with me.”

        Ignis raised his brows at Luna. She shrugged up her shoulders. “Whatever's fine with me.”

He nodded and then headed back into the kitchen. With a little huff, Noctis pulled himself away from the couch. He came to his feet and followed after Ignis, heading into the kitchen with lazy steps. Luna looked down at herself. She debated about changing clothes, going back into the dress she originally came in with, but… she was more comfortable in what she had on. She leaned down to pull off her boots and then sat down on the couch. She draped her jacket over her lap as she made herself comfortable.

She drew her feet up onto the couch, tucking her legs close, and listened to the music that Prompto played from his phone. She turned her head towards him, and as soon as she asked what song was playing, he scooted closer to her in his excitement, more than happy to share his musical tastes. Ignis came and went as he prepared lunch, returning with either a new bag of ingredients or something specific that he forgot. What part Noctis played in any of this, Luna had no idea. Maybe he was the taste tester– or he wasn't helping at all. Couldn't be sure in the living room.

Gladio came and turned on the TV. He made himself comfortable on the other side of Prompto, who turned down his music to at least be somewhat considerate. Lunch was finally finished at around three p.m.. Ignis called in everyone from the living room, and Prompto thrust his fists into the air.

        “Alright!” he shouted eagerly, bouncing up from the couch with renewed energy.

        “Oi, oi. Calm down, won'tcha?” Gladio grumbled as he made his way behind Prompto.

Luna watched the two with a smile on her face. Ignis flicked his gaze to the two males that passed in front of him, and then he set his attention onto Luna.

        “Coming, Luna?”

        She nodded her head and uncurled from her position on the couch. “Coming.”

Everyone sat down at the table, and when lunch was served, they ate together at the table happily– though Prompto nearly _wolfed_ his food down– while sitcom played in the background. Midway through their meal, Ignis excused himself from the table. He came back a few minutes later with a grey box, which he set down in front of Luna.

        “What is it?” she asked, setting her fork down onto a napkin.

        “Open it.” Ignis smoothed a hand down his front and used the other to pull the chair under him as he sat down.

She slowly pulled the top off the box, gripping the bottom with her left hand to keep it steady. Within, she saw a dark grey bar phone resting against the black, faux velvet interior. She pressed the lock button and saw the monochromatic blue geometric wallpaper on the lock screen.

        “It's already activated,” Ignis said. “Prompto and Noctis got it for you.”

        Luna looked to them, thumb hovering over the lock screen. “I thought you were going to the inn.”

        Noctis snorted. “Like Ignis needs our help,” he said while leaning back in his seat. Prompto gave a thumbs up at his side.

She smirked slightly and swiped up. The phone wasn't locked yet; she would need to make a password, but all of that went out of her mind the instant she saw the wallpaper that was selected for her. The home screen was free of icons, purposely removed so she could see the picture better. The wallpaper was of Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis all standing in a row. They were posing together, smushed together as Gladio held up the camera to take the group selfie. Luna covered a hand over her mouth, smiling against her palm.

She looked up to the others and saw that they were reveling in her reaction. She looked down to the phone again and let out a little laugh. She brought her phone to her chest as a bright smile overtook her face.

        “Thank you!”


	4. A New Day, A New You

****Luna got up the next day, showered, and dressed in her new clothes. She took a long look at herself in the mirror as she made sure everything fit right over her form. _This was… definitely an official fresh start,_ she told herself. A new day, a new outfit, a new city. It was all new. She just needed to make the best of it. Breakfast was small but welcomed. She made herself a bagel and spread jam over one half and butter on the other. She made a pot of coffee for lack of anything else of note to drink. She took the Cindy approach and added in a fair bit of sugar and cream. After a tentative sip, she was still put off by the subtle taste of coffee underneath, but after nearly draining it all, she felt that this was the only way to drink the brew.

Ignis joined her not too long later, and when he said he was going to check on the Regalia, Luna ate the rest of her bagel and covered her mouth as she offered to go with him. Once they were on their way, she asked him questions about often they've had to see Cindy while they were out on the road.

       “It gets pretty difficult, I imagine, having to call on her when you get stranded,” Luna said.

       Ignis sighed, rocking slightly as the bus slowed to a stop. “You've no idea… We've called on her too many times in the past few months alone, I feel. We've certainly had our fair share of trouble.”

       Luna laughed gently. “Seems like they were right then– Cindy and her granddad.”

       Ignis raised a brow. “Were they now? What've they said?”

       “I'm not telling you!” she looked away and laughed. “But just know that I'm keeping tabs.”

       “Now, I must wonder if you're an ally or an enemy.” Ignis' voice lowered, but his tone was good-natured.

       Luna smiled up warmly at him. “A friend, Ignis. Always a friend.”

Ignis returned the smile in his own subdued way. They got off the bus and crossed the street, hands lifting as they silently thanked the drivers for not mowing them down. Seeing the body shop made Luna smile. As they came closer, she saw Cindy in the garage walking around the Regalia, which was held up a foot from the ground by a hydraulic lift. The trunk was opened, and all of the items in the trunk were set on a portable shelf just beside the car. Luna jogged forward.

       “Hey, Cindy.”

       Cindy looked up and smiled. “Hey, _you_.” The soft drag of her voice and the cheerfulness with which she spoke made Luna grin before she could stop herself. Cindy brought up a hand and hooked it onto the side of the hood. She nodded to Ignis. “I see you brought one of your beaus.”

       “Cindy,” Ignis greeted, placing a hand on his hip. “How's it going?”

       “It's goin'.” Cindy sighed and took a step back. "You're in worse shape than I imagined. Did y'all run into anything, or did it just start fussin' on its own?”

       “It just sort of happened,” Ignis said. “We were fine the night before. When we started driving yesterday after our pit stop, that's when we heard it.”

       “Mmn. Well, it looks like y'all've been attacked. Or sabotaged in some way.” She motioned for them to follow and picked up a spiky, twisted metal. Luna flinched when she saw it. Cindy held it delicately in her hands, fingers placed strategically. “I found this jammed up under your hood. Had to pull it out with the Jaws of Life.” She shook her head. When Ignis gestured for it, she took a step closer. “Careful.”

Luna looked at the metal, which was twisted in a ball with oddly sized spikes. She looked over to Cindy, who was staring at the car again with a slight frown on her face. She reached up and ran the side of her hand over her forehead.

       “How long've you been at it?” Luna asked, stepping closer to Cindy.

       “A few hours now,” the mechanic replied. Cindy leaned over the Regalia, staring down at the engine. “Give or take how long me an' Pawpaw worked on it yesterday.” She looked over to Luna and tipped her head slightly. “You wanna help out? I need an extra set of hands in here.”

Luna looked over to Ignis, who carefully set the sharp item back onto the tool shelf. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Luna drew in a breath and then nodded her head.

       “Sure.”

       “Great!”

       “Are you going to stick around, Ignis?” Luna asked, turning back slightly and placing her hands on her hips.

       “I would, but the others actually need me back at the apartment.” He tucked his phone into his pocket again. “Will you be here for a while?”

       Luna glanced over to Cindy and then down to the car. “I should be.”

With a nod, Ignis said his good-byes. Cindy stood up straighter to wave him off; she sidestepped closer towards Luna to watch him go. He exited out of the garage, and Cindy's hand went to Luna's exposed stomach. Luna curled her fingers towards her palm, freezing briefly, before she was silently coaxed back to step out of the way. _Oh_. For a moment she thought…

Cindy moved her hand and reached for the switch to lower the car down onto its wheels completely. She gave a little click of her tongue.

       “That Ignis…” she said with a fond sigh and a shake of her head.

       “He's the responsible one,” Luna added. She walked to the right, standing in front of the left headlight.

       “He needs to get out and have some _fun_. Poor guy's gonna collapse from stress.”

Luna looked over towards Cindy, watching as the other blonde grabbed a clamp. She bit down on her bottom lip. Her expression relaxed as Cindy came up beside her. Cindy set the clamp down on top of the engine, and Luna spoke before she had a chance to really process the thought.

       “You seem like you know how to have fun, Cindy.”

       Cindy reached down towards the engine, poking around curiously. She laughed and then looked up towards Luna. She winked. “Yeah. I know how t' have a good time.” Upon finding what she wanted, she squeezed her fingers over a weak tube and used the clamp to keep it shut. “You better take off that jacket and those gloves. Y' might get a little dirty.”

Luna instantly bit down on her tongue to keep a comment from bubbling up. She nodded her head, letting out a quick “Mhm!”, and did as she was told. She pulled off her gloves and jacket and dropped the items in the front seat of the Regalia. She needlessly fiddled with the sash waist of her pants. It looked fine and felt fine, but she needed to transfer the nervous energy somehow. In the time Luna had taken to remove her unnecessary garments, Cindy had taken up a wrench and returned to the switch again. She raised the Regalia slightly above their heads, and then she and Luna stood underneath it. There was a small sense of dread with having a _heavy vehicle_ over there heads like this, but Luna swallowed it down and kept quiet. Cindy flipped over the wrench and reached up to poke at the clamp. After the brief test, she nodded her head and spoke to Luna.

       “Gonna need you to unscrew that tube right here.” She tapped the clamped tube with the wrench. “It's got a silver piece riiight up in here. I think you can get it.”

       “I see it.” Luna reached up with one hand, trying to loosen the fastener with her fingers.

She hissed in pain but then quickly switched over to the wrench. She took a moment to remember what Cid had told her and turned her wrench to the left with measured twists. She was still a little amazed by how many pieces put together a car and by how people like Cindy made it their career to know vehicles inside and out. Cindy stood at Luna's side for a few moments, watching her progress before stepping away. When Luna heard Cindy's heels clicking against the epoxy flooring, Luna looked over her shoulder to look at the other blonde. She slowed her movements, mostly by accident, as she quietly took note of Cindy moving thoughtfully near her tools.

But then there was a sudden change above her. When the fastener was loose, Luna jerked her head back up and caught the tube before it fell on her head. She huffed out hard, shuddering out a _“Huu…”_ as her heart beat quickly. Cindy laughed and walked back over, comparing the new tube in her hands with the one Luna held. She tapped her teeth together, flicking her gaze from one to the other. She then reached over, and her fingers brushed against Luna's as she took the clamped tube. Luna didn't think that was an accident.

       “Whatever got y'all cut clean through this one here.” Cindy bounced the clamped tube in her hand. Upon closer inspection, Luna could see that the clamped in was frayed and uneven. She frowned at it, but her expression relaxed when Cindy held out the other tube for her. “Screw this one back in, won't ya, darlin'?”

Luna met her eyes, trying to think of something to say. Cindy pulled the fastener from the damage tubed and handed it over as well after a brief expression. Luna turned the warm metal over in her palm. She then looked down to the new tube and turned it this way and that, trying to figure out which end the fastener should go on. She probably should have paid attention to the last one… After a moment, Cindy smiled and reached over to help her.

       “Like this,” she said, turning the tube around. “You want to put the filter right here– oh shoot. I forgot the filter.” She moved back to the tool shelf.

       “S'alright,” Luna said with a smile. She shoved her hands into her pockets, rocking a foot onto its heel. She was still looking for something to say, and then her brain produced: “The guys're really fond of you, y'know.”

       “Oh I know they are. An' they're all sweethearts, those precious knuckleheads.” Cindy smiled and picked through the small pieces she had spread out on the shelf.

       Luna dared closer, moving slowly. “I can't blame them for liking you… You've been really sweet to me.”

       “It's nothin'.” Cindy brought a perforated piece over her head, looking through it towards the light. When she fixed it into place, she added the fastener around it. She handed it back to Luna, who took it carefully. “We could all us a little sweetness in our lives.”

       “Well, I'm glad you're around then.”

Luna looked away before she had a chance to fully access the look on Cindy's face. She didn't look displeased, but maybe that was a little direct? She didn't mean to say it _that_ way. Flirting was never really her strong point. _Was_ this flirting? She grimaced. Luna focused on putting the tube in properly overhead. _Just screw the damn thing in already…_ she thought woefully to herself.

       “You would make a good apprentice,” Cindy complimented. “You're even dressed for the part, an' I didn't have to tell you.”

       “Maybe I can read your mind,” Luna teased. She pulled back, staring up at the tubing that flopped down over head.

Cindy uncurled a fist and tapped Luna in the arm with her fingers. Luna looked down to see a tiered fastener offered out to her. Following Cindy's instructions, she fit the small end into the piping and affixed the other side into a piece of machinery over her head. Names… she was still learning the names of the car parts, but she had only been this for a day– day and a half, really.

       “You can read my mind?” Cindy asked playfully. “Then tell me what I'm thinkin'.”

       “You're thinking… 'Luna has noodle arms.'” Luna drew her hands down and stared at her oil smudged fingers. She rubbed at the side of her temple with a wrist. And 'she needs a towel.'”

       “How did you know?” Cindy cocked her hip and pulled her towel out of her back pocket. She handed it over to Luna, who tucked the wrench under her arm and wiped her hands. “But I was more thinkin' you're pretty cute.”

Luna felt herself smile before she had a chance to stop it. Again. Cindy was just really good at making her do that. She then handed the towel over again. Cindy took it and crossed her arms under her chest.

       “I'm cute?”

       A laugh, youthful and light. “That's what I said.”

       “Well, that means a lot coming from you.”

       “And what does that mean?” Cindy walked backwards.

       Luna just held her hands behind her back and hummed curiously. “Hmm?”

       “Oh, now you _gotta_ tell me.”

Luna leaned her head to the side and hummed again.

       “And now you're just bein' a tease.”

       “Maybe I just want to keep you guessing.” Luna turned around fluidly, setting her heels down flat as she stood next to Cindy. “Or maybe I just want _you_ to read _my_ mind.”

       “Not fair.” Cindy grinned anyway.

She moved away to stand under the Regalia alone, staring up at the many parts that Luna couldn't yet name. Luna pulled the wrench from under her arm and heaved out a silent breath. Her heart was racing! She turned her back to Cindy and rubbed her face with both hands. Nervous energy– nervous energy. She needed to make herself look busy. After a moment of feeling around in her pockets, she pulled out her phone and saw she had messages from the guys. Oh, thank Heavens.

She walked back over to Cindy, showing off a picture sent to her of Noctis posing with his hand in front of his face as he stood in front of a row of naked mannequins in a window display.

       “That boy is somethin' else,” Cindy said with a laugh.

       “He's pretty great.” Luna typed back a message and added an emoji sticker at the end.

She drifted back into her place away from the car. She scrolled through her messages single handedly and was glad when she felt herself calm down. Her heart wasn't threatening to burst out of her chest from excitement, but she wondered how long that would last for. Cindy sighed out a little breath and she stepped away, once more lowering the Regalia down onto its wheels. Luna took that as a sign to put her phone away.

       “Need ya to get behind the wheel for me.” Luna moved to the driver side as Cindy placed a hand on her hip. “I just don't get it. What could have happened?”

       “I'm not sure.” Luna opened the car door and stroked her fingers over it as she thought. “Like Ignis said, everything was fine for a while, but when we got to that pit stop, that's when things got weird.” She then slid into the front seat and set her clothes out of the way as she settled.

       Cindy half-heartedly stamped a foot onto the ground. “Somethin' just don't seem right.” She trailed off after shaking her head. After a moment of silence, she sighed and waved a hand. “No point in thinkin' about it now. Alright, crank it up then.”

Luna turned the key, and there was a loud _pop_ before the engine tried cranking. Alarmed, Luna turned it off. Cindy pulled the cap off her head and scratched at her scalp with her ring and pinky fingers.

       “Well, _that_ makes sense. At least I know what that's comin' from.” She ran her fingers through her hair, gripping the blond locks tightly for a moment before letting go. “Dammit. Well, sugar. I'd love to keep my heart fluttering with you all day, but I'm gonna need to work on this for a while.”

       “No problem.” Luna grabbed her gloves and put them on. “Thanks for letting me hang around.”

       “Anytime.”

Luna stood up out of the car and put on her jacket next. She glanced over to Cindy as she adjusted it and then made her way around the car. When she heard “Hey!” behind her, Luna spun around and took a step backwards. Cindy stepped to the side of the Regalia and gave her a sweet smile.

       “You be careful out there.”

       Luna smiled and then nodded. “I will.”

She turned around again and began walking away from the body shop. She heard a frustrated sigh behind her and felt the temptation to go back and help anyway. But no, this was Cindy's work. She needed to do this alone, or at least she had requested as much. Luna took in a deep breath, eyes falling closed briefly, as she willed herself to keep away.

She jogged towards the street and walked up the sidewalk, running after her bus and waving her arms as it passed.


	5. Advance Bravely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was a really good break. I think what I've learned is that I need to pace myself better. The force of my thoughts were so overwhelming; I felt I had to pump them out all at once. Thanks to everyone for your comments and for hitting me up on twitter (!!). Look forward to more from me soon and in the coming year.
> 
> Remember that this is no-spoiler territory until I say anything differently! Might start tagging my works accordingly, hmmm~

****Luna pressed her back against the stone wall. She panted in quick, hard breaths. Her body tingled all over from the stress of combat, but they weren't done fighting yet. She leaned her head back against the wall, trying to calm down her busy mind. She heard someone yell _“Noctis!”_ , their voice strained with shock. That couldn't be a good sign at all. Luna grit her teeth, closing her mouth, and took a few more breaths through her nose before running out of her hiding spot. The jackal shrieked, vibrating the world a few feet in front of it. Luna was out of the vibration zone, but the noise was enough to make her vision blur and double briefly. She staggered on her feet and shook her head as soon as the screaming stopped.

Luna curled her hand at her side, trying to bury her nervous energy. She looked around briefly before spotting Gladio reeling back from a hit. He swung his sword behind him, hands tensed and ready to bring the massive weapon forward for another strike. Ah–! She needed his help.

       “Gladio!” He spun to face her. She flicked her thumb up towards the air. “Need a lift!”

       “Air drop, coming up!”

Gladio's sword disappeared from his hand and he laced his fingers together, creating a support with his palms. Luna felt her heart thudding in her ears, but she charged forward anyway, a battle cry leaving her as she ran. Luna set her foot in Gladio's cupped hands as he knelt down. He launched her in the air, and Luna felt her knee clip with his chin as she sailed upward. _Sorry!_ she shouted in her head as she tucked into a somersault. She uncurled and went spread eagle in the air. Her stomach dropped– she was suddenly nervous being so high up. Well, there was nowhere left to go…

       “But _down!”_ she shouted, materialising her trident again and crashing down onto the oversized jackal.

The creature screamed in pain. As it did, she cast a shield around the two of them. She twisted her trident and absorbed its life energy to feed into the power of her shield, but her mind was getting fuzzy. Her stamina was running low. It didn't help that she was now in a protected dome with the screaming beast. Her shield fell a second before the jackal stopped its screech. She felt dark energy burning off the jackal. Its fur became sentient, growing high and whipping like tentacles. Three lashed into Luna's body, casting her away and across the field. Prompto slid in to catch her; he kept her from hitting the ground, even though he fell over himself.

       “Gotcha!” he panted.

       Luna staggered up to her feet, reaching for her weapon again. “Thanks…” she whispered, raising a hand to her head. She used her trident to keep herself upright.

Prompto patted her arm, and she nodded and weakly assured him that she was okay, even though she felt like she wasn't. Her body was weak; she swore she could still feel the beast's scream trembling through her entire form. She grabbed her trident with both hands and clenched, releasing the energy trapped inside to empower herself. The negative energy was replaced with one of new power. The fine hairs on her arm stood on end.

Luna looked to Prompto and nodded. She raced forward again. She ran past Ignis, ducking herself to one side to keep from crashing into him. He placed a hand on her as she passed, and Luna felt the cooling touch of his healing power. She stopped in front of the beast, which whipped around in a new direction as soon as Prompto started shooting at it. Its tail was smoking like a dying fire. Gladio and Noctis flanked her on either side.

       “Sorry about kneeing you,” she said to Gladio.

       “Be sorry later!”

In the corner of her eye, Gladio brought his weapon back. She mimicked him, and all at once, the three of them jabbed forward, stabbing the beast in the ass. She twisted her hands, palms coming close to each other. The trident lengthened, revealing the bright core inside. She jumped back and tossed her trident up into the air.

       “Noctis!”

       “Got it!”

Noctis fazed out, leaving a beautiful, blue after image. Luna and Gladio began running backwards. They looked to see Noctis descending upon the jackal, spinning in a vicious spiral. There were visible trails of wind turning around him. The trident stabbed down and then through the beast. Luna could feel the power pulse under her feet like an earthquake. The jackal was pinned down to the ground; it gave one final twitch, scratching at the earth and trying to bite Prompto as he strafed around. Finally, after a many breathtaking seconds, the beast died down.

Noctis pulled the trident out, staring down at the monster and letting his fingers uncurl from around it. Luna dropped down to her knees and sighed loudly. She splayed her fingers against the grass, trying to catch her breath. Augh, she had a headache now.

       “Good job,” Ignis complimented.

       “Luna's got some quick thinking,” Gladio said. “Might be giving you a run for your money, Ignis.”

Luna could see his feet come into view. She wanted to give a retort, but all of her energy went into staying conscious right now. So, instead of talking, she merely nodded her head and gave a thumbs up with her right hand.

       “Heeey. I got the thing,” Noctis said. Ah… He sounded so distant.

Luna pushed up onto her knees, and Ignis held out a hand down for her. She took it, grateful for the help to her feet. She gave a weak noise of effort when she finally came to her feet. She swayed a little. But only a little. Luna was just glad she was able to stay upright. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed softly, shoulders relaxing with the motion. Noctis stepped over to meet them. His hands were filled with…… _mushrooms_?

       She furrowed her brows. “Is that it?”

       “That's what they wanted.” Noctis tipped his head, brow cocking up. “A waste if you ask me.”

       “Why someone would want dangerous mushrooms is beyond me,” Gladio mumbled.

       “I heard that these have a small percentage of being poisonous, even smaller chance of being lethal.” Ignis held the cap of one between two of his fingers.

       “We nearly died for maybe deadly mushrooms,” Prompto said staring at the ground. Then at once, he and Luna closed their eyes and said, _“Great.”_

       “At least we're getting paid.” Noctis shrugged nonchalantly, his voice unbothered. “That's what matters.”

They all became up the hill, heading away from their impromptu battle grounds. Luna looked over her shoulder towards the beast they killed, but it was already fragmenting away. She closed her eyes briefly, convincing herself that it wasn't worth staring at. She looked straight ahead.

       “You're too used to this,” Luna said as she fell into step with Noctis.

       Noctis smirked. “I guess I am.”

When they came to the main road, they could see their driver-slash-client waiting for them just down the way. Luna leaned back slightly then looked around to the others.

       “Hey… would it be okay if we said hey to Cindy today? I just wanted to swing by.”

       “You're really taking your training seriously,” Ignis said.

Something about his tone was a little too knowing. Luna made a small noise when she met his gaze. After a second, she looked away from him and touched the toe of her boot to the ground. Ah, she hoped she wasn't blushing…

       “It's good to have a hobby, you know…”

       “Indeed.” And then all too easily, he said to Noctis, “Perhaps you should think about that, Noct.”

       “I have hobbies,” Noctis corrected, almost offended, “ _outside_ of fishing.”

Luna brought a hand up to her chest and sighed. Bullet dodged for now. When they came to the car, their client was practically beaming. They took the mushrooms from Noctis and handed over a sleek wine purple box with their payment inside. Thankfully, their client didn't mind a quick stop on the way back to the apartments. After all they had done, “it would be no problem~!” their client enthused fondly.

When they all made it to the mechanic's garage, Luna hopped out just after everyone else did. She slid her hands into her back pockets, a bit more aware now of the movement of her hips. With the guys walking in front of her, she looked down to their legs. She mimicked the way they flicked the toes of their feet forward and set down with the tip of their heel. She felt the change in her movements with her hands in her back pockets, and she tried to memorise the feeling for later.

Cindy greeted them in her customary fashion, all high spirits and sweet tones. The swing of her hips was brief as she brought her left leg forward and rested it on the heel of her boot. Cid soon joined them, entering the garage through the side entrance of the main building.

       “How's it goin'?” Noctis asked, a smile in his voice.

       “You'll be ready to go in no time,” Cid assured. “We're just making a few adjustments and…”

Luna wasn't paying as much attention when Cindy began walking in her direction. She tipped her head to the side, and Luna followed, moving with steady, casual steps. They stood off to the side as the others talked and met each other's gaze silently. Luna smiled, but Cindy blinked, looking stunned for a moment. She reached forward to brush something off Luna's cheek. Her thumb came away with blood.

       “Oh.” Luna said, raising her hand to try and wipe off any blood that might have remained. “It was pretty nasty what we fought. It was a big… jackal… thing. Ah…” She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly as she curled her fingers against her cheek. “I'm still a little dizzy. I can't explain it better than that.”

       “Don't worry 'bout it, sugar.” Cindy stepped her right foot forward between Luna's. The action disguised her bringing their free hands together. “Fought your first big bad with the boys.” She sounded proud.

       Luna smiled, squeezing her fingers around Cindy's. “It was pretty awesome. In every sense.”

       “I bet. You need some medicine?”

       “I'll be fine.” Luna looked down to the ground. “We're going back home after this.”

Cindy nodded. She stroked her thumb over Luna before she pulled her hand away. The two turned back towards the boys, and Luna saw Prompto looking away from them. She wondered what he was thinking. Cindy began talking in her bubbly tone, joining into the conversation effortlessly. Luna snuck up behind Prompto, rose up onto her feet, and draped her arms over his shoulders. He reached up to pat her forearm. He turned his head slightly to look at her. He smiled but didn't say anything. As a retort, Luna reached a hand up to poke him in the cheek.

When they said their good-byes, Luna and Cindy held each other's gaze for a little while longer. Luna raised a hand to wave silently and turned away to hop back in their ride with the guys. She leaned back against the seat, squeezed between Noctis in the door. Prompto was set in an almost princely fashion on top of both Gladio and Noctis.

       “I call first dibs on the shower,” she said, relief filling her voice at the thought of a shower right about now.

       “I call dibs for the second one,” Prompto knocked a hand on the roof.

       “Eh? There's a second one?”

       “It's in Iggy's room.”

       “It would be,” Luna said with a laugh. When the laugh passed out of her, she felt an invisible weight pulling down on her shoulders. Augh, she was… tired? Yeah, extremely, and so suddenly too. She reached up and rubbed her hand against a shoulder. “On second thought, I think I might just pass out on the couch.”

       “See? When I do it, everyone else starts doing it too,” Noctis said with his eyes closed.

       “You're a real trendsetter, Noct,” Ignis said from the passenger seat.

Luna felt a smile curve up on her lips. She turned her head and looked out the window, watching as the body shop passed them by. She was glad to see Cindy again and that they were all okay.

When the door to the apartments opened, Luna sighed in relief. She reached up to pull off her jacket. Being the last one inside, she closed and locked the door behind them. Just as she walked into the living room, Noctis said,

       “Seems like we need to welcome Luna into the CoCC.”

       Luna would regret it, but she tipped her head to the side and asked, “CoCC?”

       “The Crushing on Cindy Club,” Prompto said teasingly.

He sidestepped-bounced over to her. He bopped his hip against hers, and Luna _knew_ she was blushing now. She reached up to cover a cheek with one hand. The other she used to push Prompto away. Instead of staggering away from her, he reached out and grabbed her arm before drawing her into a hug.

       “Frankly, I'd think you two would make a lovely couple.” Ignis crossed his arms and leaned against the wall to the left of the kitchen. He was smirking.

 _Ignis! Not you too!_ Luna said in him with a single, comically betrayed look.

       “Just met Cindy, and she's already lightyears ahead of us.” Gladio placed a hand on his hip and shook his head.

       “Not like you stood a chance anyway,” Noctis remarked off-handedly. He was laying on his stomach with his arms crossed over the arm rest. His chin was resting on his folded arms, and his eyes, of course, were closed.

       “Turns out we were barking up the wrong tree. Cindy's got a more specific type in mind.” Prompto grinned at Luna.

       Noctis opened his eyes slightly and looked over towards Luna. “I blame the pants, honestly. They're pretty cool; I think she was drawn in by them.” He lifted up a hand lazily, closing his eyes. “None of us've got something like that.”

       “Sure don't,” Luna said proudly. She then wriggled out of Prompto's hold, smiling at him as she wandered into the bathroom.

She closed the door behind her and let out a long sigh. Of relief? Of exhaustion? Of nothingness? She wasn't entirely sure. Luna walked over to the shower, shuffling her jacket nervously between both hands. She paused when she saw herself in the mirror. Luna's eyes went wide, and she hurried closer, touching at her cheeks and the tips of her ears. A-ah! _Aaah!_ She was blushing so much. She curled her hand against her left ear, and the fingers of her right hand went to her lips.

She backed up until she hit a wall and then sank down until she was sitting on the ground. She drew her legs up, crossed her arms on top of them, and rested her head right against her folded arms. Her jacket was just barely hanging on, trapped between her left forearm and her leg. “Dammit, Cindy…” she mumbled to herself. Luna never blushed like this before _._ This was… truly something else. Something new amongst all of these really freaking new experiences she was already having.

Cindy made her feel something nice, something different. Luna realised that it was nice to have this crush or whatever it was. She wasn't sure how interested Cindy was in her, but knowing that it was reciprocated in some small amount made her feel… good. Luna wasn't a poet, but what she felt made up for the lack of words. She smiled to herself and rested her chin on the dip between her knees. She pulled her arms away and stared at her hands. Long fingers touched against each other, idly tracing small lines with the nail of one index finger against the length of the other. She gave a small, content smile this time. Liking someone like this was really nice.

And of course, Luna liked Noctis. There was no question about it. She cared for him; he knew that, and she always would care for him, but her feelings for him were definably different. They had both shared the sentiment that this arranged marriage was nonsense. That's what she joined this journey to prove: that they could be a strong union without some arbitrary, old fashioned BS insisted upon by an empire that just wanted to twist their arms. Luna clicked her tongue and dropped her hands onto her feet, palms fitting over the rounded toes of her shoes. No, she and Noctis –and Gladio and Ignis and Prompto– operated on something that was far better than some farce of a romance. But Cindy… she was an unexpected turn on a long road to proving a point. Luna didn't mind the little diversion one bit. She hoped that Cindy didn't either.

With that, Luna pushed up onto her feet and walked over to the shower finally. She turned on the water. Her fingers splayed out under the spray, and she relaxed, letting the heat of the water build against her fingertips. She then dropped her jacket onto the toilet lid. Casting one last look at herself in the mirror, Luna laughed a little bit. Odinheil was a place to begin again, apparently, and even if it wasn't, it surely was for her.

 

The next morning was a strange one. Luna woke up _twice_. She started off her day at 6AM and was pleasantly surprised when the others woke up not too long after her. After having breakfast, she joined the others in the living room, and then she… fell asleep? The last time she checked, it was almost 8AM. Now, it was closer to 11:30AM. She brought a hand up to her face and pushed herself up from the couch with her other one. Luna groaned and took a moment to assess the situation. She passed out face forward onto the cushions, no pillow or anything. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stared groggily at the TV across from her.

Yup. The others were going to poke fun at her for this.

Luna slowly sat up and placed her feet down on the ground. She rubbed her face to shake away the sleepiness. When she finally stood up, she heard the jiggling of keys at the front door. She slowly stepped around the couch towards the bathroom. She made it to the hall just as the door opened. She heard the others' voices at the door as they talked loudly about– something. Luna's mind wasn't completely on just yet. That sudden nap made her feel so disorientated. With her eyes half-opened, she turned on the faucet and cupped her hands under the water.

       “Seems like Luna's up,” she heard Gladio say.

       “Or she finally assimilated with the couch,” Noctis replied pleasantly.

       “Like you're one to talk,” Luna said to herself as she cut off the water. She was happy to hear her sass repeated by Ignis barely a second later.

She ran her hands over a towel and then stepped out of the bathroom. When she saw the twin smirks on Prompto and Noctis' faces, she debated about just walking out of the apartment.

       “Looks like you had a good night's sleep,” Noctis teased.

       “So good she tried to get a repeat this morning,” Prompto added. His smile was the sweetest form of a shit eating grin Luna had ever seen.

       “On a scale of one to Cindy,” Gladio began, shifting his weight slightly as he leaned against the side of the couch, “how good would you say your dreams were?”

       Luna turned and looked pleadingly at Ignis. Surely, he'd be the voice of reason. “Iggy……”

       “Oh, I'm curious as well,” he replied coolly, looking far too satisfied with himself.

       “Oh my god,” Luna breathed, turning her body to the left and heading towards the entryway.

Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio piped up, playfully begging her to stay and calling her name. She grabbed the door handle, pulled the door open, and then felt an arm coil around her waist. A chin hooked on her shoulder and Prompto laughed in her ear. She felt another pair of arms and looked over her right shoulder to see Noctis leaning against them, joining in on the hug-slash-attempt to keep Luna from leaving.

       “We should clean before we head out,” Ignis said behind them, still oh so very amused by it all. “Dramatic exit or no.”

       “Fine,” the trio at the door said in unison, and Luna was suddenly incredibly aware of how like them she was becoming after only a few days of travel. Perhaps she was always just an adventurer at heart and these four brought out the best in her. Or the most childish. It all depended.

They pulled away from the entry, and Luna closed the door behind them. She and the others began cleaning up around the apartment, getting all of their affairs in order.

       “We still have one more day left,” Gladio said as they cleaned. “Maybe we should make the most of it.”

       “And finish off these perishables before then,” Ignis agreed in a low voice.

Luna gathered her clothes into a bag, setting them off to the side. She turned her mouth to the side. She should probably get a travel bag for herself to put specific things in. She made a note of it in her head. She came out of her room, and the others began to mull over what they wanted to eat today.

       “There's that one diner that has amazing fries,” Prompto sighed, placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back on the couch.

       “I second that,” Noctis raised a hand.

       Luna leaned against the couch, setting her hands along the back. “I'm okay with great fries.”

       Gladio hummed. “Good hot dogs too.”

       “That's settled then.”

As they settled into what time they should leave from the morning (mostly Noctis and Prompto trying to bargain not to leave too early), Luna pulled away and made her way to the windows. She stared outside, quietly thinking about tomorrow. Being on the road again, probably more fighting, more running around and looking for answers. They had warned her about Magitek finding them at the most inopportune moments. Luna crossed her arms over her stomach, tapping her fingers under her left elbow. A hand, large and warm, settled on her right shoulder.

       “Everything alright?” Gladio asked, tipping his head down to Luna.

       “Yeah, just thinking about tomorrow.”

       “Excited?”

       “A little.” She rocked her right foot onto its heel, tapping the toe of her boot against the wall. “Nervous…”

       “We've been there. Still are a little in our way.”

Luna chewed the inside of her cheek and let out a thoughtful noise. When Noctis called to them, they looked back. Prompto lifted up from the couch to follow after Ignis. Noctis had a hand on the arm rest, the other on his waist.

       “You comin'?”

       Luna nodded. “Of course.” She then looked up to Gladio and smiled softly. “I'll be okay.”

       “Yeah.” He smiled back. “We're right here with you.”

Her smile widened the slightest bit. She and Gladio turned together and exited out of the apartment with everyone else. It was a beautiful day in Odinheil with traffic thick in the streets. Luna could hear music blasting from one of the cars, mixing into the overall ambience of the world. She looked up and down the row of cars, trying to spot the musical one in particular, as they decided to hoof it to the diner.

       “It's only a few blocks,” Prompto assured.

       “Consider this basic training,” Gladio added with a smirk.

       Luna rolled her eyes and slumped slightly. “At least I get a work out with fries at the end.”

       “That's the way I think about it,” Noctis said from up ahead, side by side with Ignis.

Luna gave a huff of a laugh. She let her gaze wander over the buildings as they passed by. Each store front had a different personality in spite of having the same structure of its neighbour. She paused to peer into display windows, enamoured by the wares within. When they paused at a crosswalk, Prompto pulled out his phone to take a picture of an awesome looking car waiting in line near them. When the row of cars began forward, Prompto switched his phone to video, turning as the car passed in front of them. Luna felt the power of the engine course through her body and grate against her ears. She winced at the noise, but Prompto seemed invigorated by it.

       “Aah, I wish I brought my camera,” he said woefully after he slipped his phone into his pocket.

       “Tonnes of cars on the road,” Noctis said off-handedly. “Maybe you'll see it next time.”

       “Maybe.”

The walk wasn't as bad as Luna had anticipated. It didn't feel quite as long as she thought it would, but there was a telltale stress in her calves that hinted she wasn't as used to this as the others. She rolled her foot, shifting her weight from one leg to the other as they came to another crosswalk.

       “Almost there,” Gladio said in an encouraging tone.

       “I've got it.” Luna smiled weakly up at him. Not much longer now, and then she could sit down for a little while.

As they approached the diner, Luna found something that immediately caught her interest. She perked up and turned towards an accessories store. Without thinking, she turned towards it and pushed open the door. “Good afternoon!” greeted a spritely voice as Luna stepped inside. She looked to the brightly smiling attendant and nodded her head, giving a little smile in return. Luna began stepping to the side, slowly breaking her focus on the attendant as she wandered around the store.

She wanted to do something for Cindy. She wasn't entirely sure what, but seeing this store, an idea sparked fresh in her mind. She just needed to be smart about it. The door chimed open, and the attendant greeted other customers. Familiar voices replied in kind, but Luna didn't lift her head. She walked slowly around the store, trying to find something nice. Not just definitely nice but durable and complementary as well. Something she could enchant if she wanted, if it wasn't enchanted already.

Luna stopped at a display of wrist bands. This seemed… right somehow, but she just couldn't sell herself entirely on it. There was leather and gold and others with a rare gem plating. Luna had a decent amount of funds left on her, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was taste. The attendant approached, a tall and effeminate character with their long brown hair tucked behind their ears. They looked from Luna to the display in front of her.

       “Is there something I can help you with?”

       “…Yeah” Luna said distractedly. “I'm looking for a wrist band. Kind of like…” She trailed off as the attendant placed their hand on the counter. On their wrist, they had a polished black bracelet. It had an opulent, pearlescent sheen in the light. Luna pointed to it. “Kind of like that. But for a mechanic.” She brought her hand to her wrist, rubbing over it. She looked nervously to the attendant. “Do have something that's nice but won't agitate someone when they're working?”

       The attendant gave a cunning little smile, fine eyebrows raising. “I believe we have something in store.”

Luna nodded and followed. They went through a few different options, and Luna found a few that she liked. The attendant brought up a different option, a multilayer beaded bracelet with golden accents. There were three layers, two with matte beads and one with polished. The matte layers had golden cracks on a few of the beads. The polished layer had two golden beads with fine white lines; the two beads were separated by a thin white ring.

Luna picked it up, transfixed. She stretched the bracelets quietly, seeing that they were tethered with a thin but durable cord. She rubbed her index finger against it quietly before relaxing her hand. She moved to set the item down again, keeping her gaze on it as she stepped towards the attendant, ready to follow, but when she looked, she noticed they haven't moved.

       “We can also replace beads and pendants if you feel it would make the gift better, but…” The attendant leaned forward, pardoning themselves as they curled a finger against the bracelet. They held it up to Luna's point of view. “These yellow beads here are made with a special stone called materia; they're not found anywhere in this region.”

       “Really…” Luna brought up a hand to touch over the stone. She could feel them whisper for power, her power, but it was more of a quiet beckoning rather than a demand. “I think I like this how it is,” she said quietly.

       “Excellent. Should I ring you up then?”

       “Yes please,” Luna whispered in her awe.

The attendant nodded and then let her be. Luna stared at her hands and smiled down at them. This was completely ridiculous and impulsive, but… she wasn't a poet. She could hardly express how enraptured she was by Cindy. Even if it was a little crush, an infatuation, or whatever this feeling tried to be, she believed very much in it. And it was also a display of thanks for helping keep the boys safe. She could only hope that this little trinket would accomplish that.

 

       “Where're y'all off to now?” Cindy asked once everyone was settled up in the car.

       “Probably going to drive around a bit, get some work down, and relax before tomorrow,” Gladio said, drumming his fingers along the back passenger seat.

       “We've gotta long drive ahead of us. You know how it is,” Prompto said in an easy going tone.

Luna nervously turned the bracelet in her fingers, hiding it between her legs. She closed her eyes.

       “Y'all be safe now.” Cindy was stepping away.

       “Cindy, wait!” Luna brought her head up and looked to catch the other female's eyes.

After a second of needed courage, she pulled herself up onto the back of the car. She felt Gladio's hand wrap around her left leg for stability as she leaned over the trunk. Cindy walked around, smiling up at Luna. “What're you doing?” she asked teasingly, voice so bubbly and light. Luna reached out for Cindy's hand, and when the left hand was given to her, she slipped the bracelet over Cindy's gloved hand and down under the wrist of her jacket.

Luna drew her hands back and watched as Cindy pulled her sleeve down to look at her gift. Her mouth opened in shock. She shifted in place and then looked up to Luna, who could only give a warm smile to her.

       “Thanks for thinking of me… Know that I'll be thinking of you too– and hopefully this will keep you safe.”

       Cindy searched Luna's eyes and then set her hands on her hips. “Oh, Luna…” she said fondly.

Luna felt her heart leapt in excitement. She turned away before she completely burst into flames from the power of her blush.

       “Let's go!” Luna cheered.

       “Rock and roll!” Prompto added.

Everyone, save Luna, said their final good-byes as Ignis cranked up the engine. Luna let out a deep sigh of relief. Everything sounded normal. As the Regalia began moving, Luna turned back to wave to Cindy finally. Cindy took a step forward, blowing Luna a kiss, and Luna grinned as she playfully caught it.

       She turned back around in her seat, listening to the good natured jabs and teases on her part. “Yeah, yeah,” she said. “Let's just ride.”

Luna looked to the others, not caring so much about the blush on her cheeks. She brought her hand to her heart and closed her eyes. The blown kiss was an added boost of courage. When Luna finally opened her eyes, she knew she was ready to charge forward into the new stage of her life. She was mentally prepared for this amazing journey.


End file.
